Songwriter’s Monthly Presents:
CUT TO:
Lost Girl’s
Emmanuelle Vaugier
“She’s evil, she’s manipulative, she’s the leader of the dark world, everybody bows down to her.”
Brie Childers
Backstory
CUT TO: (A New Imprint From Songwriter’s Monthly) I’m a music guy. My background is music, my knowledge is music, my comfort zone is music. Luckily (for me), the entertainment world has always had it’s share of talent who have dabbled outside of their primary creative discipline. For instance, I met Milla Jovovich back in ’94 because, at the time, she was a recording artist who had just released The Divine Comedy. In fact, I’ve actually interviewed a number of movie and television stars because they have a band on the side (or, at the very least, an indie record available). Yup, I’ve interviewed a lot of people over the past 21 years, but I’ve never interviewed someone who didn’t have at least some connection to music. Until now. What you see on your screen is the premiere article from Songwriter’s Monthly’s latest imprint CUT TO:! In CUT TO:, we will abruptly leave the music world to visit another scene. We might offer an article on modeling, fashion design, dancing, or, as with this piece, acting! To be honest, I spent many, many months nurturing this idea, desperately trying to think of the perfect person to feature this first time out. I needed a Superman (or woman) for my Action Comics #1. I needed to find someone who had a great deal of impact on me, someone whose work I admired, someone who was kind of awesome! There’s a show I watch called Lost Girl. Season 4 is set to premiere on Sunday, November 10 at 10pm on Showcase (Canada), but the U.S. will have to wait till early 2014 (Syfy). How big of a fan am I? Let’s just say, if I renounce my U.S. citizenship and head north on November 9th . . . don’t be surprised.
Anyway, way back in season 1, episode 1, roughly twenty minutes in, an elegant yet no-nonsense character strutted into the plot. She was wearing knee high black leather boots, a short black skirt with a slit that revealed a tantalizing amount of leg, black evening gloves, and a black fur stole (at least that’s my guess at what it was called, music is my back ground, not fashion, remember). She was The Morrigan. She was fiercely beautiful and she was well aware of that fact. Within seconds, I knew she would play the evil queen of the story. The actress had managed to portray power, beauty, wit, and ruthlessness all with just a few determined heel clicks and a wry smile. This actress, whoever she was, was incredibly gifted. Plus, she had that vague air of familiarity about her. Maybe she was the one? I started doing some research and found this actress had been in a number of my favorite shows (explaining the aforementioned “air of familiarity”). In these shows, she routinely portrayed the stunning woman with a dark twist to her soul (and/or some delightfully seductive power). She was in Smallville, Veronica Mars, Saw II, Saw IV, Human Target, and Supernatural (because of her consummate acting skills, I still tear up when I hear “Silent Lucidity”). She was also in CSI:NY, Covert Affairs, Two and a Half Men and a whole lot more. In fact, this actress currently has an impressive 92 credits on her IMDB listing. And, if that wasn’t enough, she has appeared on Maxim’s 2006 “Top 100” list and Femme Fatal placed her at #5 on their “50 Sexiest Women on the Planet” list! I happened to let it slip to my son that I was considering Emmanuelle Vaugier for the premiere feature for CUT TO: And his response? “Ha, ha, ha, good luck with that. If you ever talked with her, then I’d be impressed by what you do. She’s a real celebrity.” That settled it, Emmanuelle Vaugier, it would be!
Emmanuelle Vaugier: Kind of Awesome!
Brie Childers
“Hi, is this Allen?” I’m not sure if it was obvious to Emmanuelle or not, but I was nervous. Stupid nervous. I could barely put together a sentence. It felt like I’d just run a marathon and couldn’t catch my breath. I looked down at my hand and it was actually trembling! If I couldn’t pull it together, I might as well just hang up. In my 20+ years of interviewing, I’ve discovered that honesty tends to break the ice. It puts people at ease with each other. If you have an
uncomfortable situation, admit it and laugh about it because trying to hide it just creates more tension and stress. Even though I was still unable to get out more than a few words at a time, I said, “You know, I’ve interviewed people from the music industry for over 20 years. I’ve talked to record execs, producers, unknowns and superstars, but you are the first actress. This interview will help me decide what I’m going to do with my life. If it goes well, I’ll launch CUT TO: and start doing this on a regular basis . . . If it doesn’t go well, I just might curl up in a ball on the floor and hide from the world.” I froze, but heat started flushing my face. I felt like Chris Farley in those old SNL skits where he interviewed people . . . poorly! I wanted to pound my head with my palm and proclaim, “Stupid, stupid, stupid!” But I didn’t. Emmanuelle’s response? She laughed so hard and with such warmth that I felt almost instantly at ease. “I’m sure we’ll be just fine,” she comforted. Although Vaugier now resides in Los Angeles, she was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and grew up in a French-speaking household. To look at her, you’d expect the haughty tone and elegant diction that so many of the characters she has portrayed utilize, but on the phone her voice was casual, lively and marinated in a rich, smokey warmth. If hers was one of the voices available for a GPS, I would definitely consider purchasing one . . . and then get lost on purpose! Feeling a tiny bit more confident, I launched into interview mode . . .
The Interview
CUT TO: I couldn't help but notice, you get a great deal of work, it seems like you’re constantly getting new roles.
Emmanuelle Vaugier: Knock on wood, things have been busy, yes.
CT: Is there a quality that you have that keeps you getting role after role?”
EV: There are a lot of factors that come into play, it’s timing, it’s luck, it’s consistency, and it’s having a long track record with different people whom I’ve worked with. Hopefully, these people feel like I’m
talented, so they’ll hire me again. But there are lots of talented actors out there who aren’t working, so I feel very lucky that I’ve been able to maintain a consistency in being able to work and being able to work with some of the same people over and over again. It’s really nice when you already have a rapport with someone.
CT: Kind of like finding a family? EV: Yeah.
CT: I’ve done some crew work in films and I’ve found a lot of times that when you find your people, people you like working with, you stick with them.
EV: Television works that way, too. I’ve worked with many of the same producers or showrunners who have gone on to other shows and they remember me. They know I show up, they know I do the work, and they know it’s worked well before. They are not hiring somebody brand new whom they haven’t worked with before. There’s a comfort level there because you know that you can walk onto set and you can get right to it, so you end up running into the same circles of people over and over again.
CT: And the long hours kind of force you to become close, you have no other choice.
EV: Absolutely! You spend so much time together! You’re working 18 to 20 hour days sometimes, and over the course of several weeks or even many months, you’re in a bubble with just those people, so you get to know them really quickly. The process is much more intense than it would be if you were just casually meeting people and getting to know them in an office environment or in everyday life.
CT: And then there are the roles, you are placed in situations where you need to emotionally connect with people for the story to work.
EV: Yes, you are asked to be emotionally vulnerable on all levels with the other actors, so there is a very fast bond that develops. That goes for the producers and the director and the crew and everyone whom you are working with, there’s a certain level of trust that has to be there for everybody to work well together.
CT: Is there a certain kind of role or aspect of a story or a particular character that attracts you?
EV: A lot of it is if the material’s good. Is it a challenge? Sometimes, it’s a fun challenge, but sometimes it’s a challenge that you’re thinking, “I don’t really know if I want to go there!” But for the most part, a challenge is great. Then, there are other times when a role is already very familiar, you’ve already gone down that road before and you know that tapping into it will be easy. Sometimes you’re not in the mood for going to that more challenging place, but unfortunately, the industry doesn’t care if you’re in the mood or not, you just have to suck it up and do it! But when you go and do that, despite your mood, there’s a certain level of satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment that you were able to pull it off regardless of what headspace you might’ve be in. Every single role has its own unique challenges and aspects that draw you to it . . . it could even be something like the location it shoots in. “It shoots in Bora Bora? I don’t really care what the role is, I just want to go to Bora Bora!” [laughing] So, there’s that side of it, too. Maybe there’s not a lot going on for the project, maybe the script is not super great . . . but it shoots in a fantastic location!
CT: How to get Emmanuelle in my film: Write a bad script, but set it in an exotic location . . . got it!
EV: No! Well, not always. But it does make you think twice, you kinda go, “Well, how bad is it reeaalllly?” [laughing]
CT: Have you ever accepted a role, then in the middle of the project started wondering, “Why did I take this?!”
EV: The one thing that terrified me is I’d never done a sitcom before, I’d never done anything in front of a live audience, so when I first started doing Two and a Half Men, that was scary. And then it became really fun! But the first few episodes were terrifying.
CT: Do you think taking on a role like that changes who you are or your perception of yourself?
EV: No, I think it just makes you stronger. Again, you just have to suck it up and do it. Once you’ve made it through, you’re like, “Oh, that wasn’t so bad, that wasn’t as scary as I thought it was going to be.” You’re still terrified during the process, but every time you do it, it gets a little easier until you finally find some joy and fun in doing it. No, I don’t think it changed my perception of myself or my personality, I just think it opened me up to something new that I hadn’t experienced before, something I was pretty afraid of doing.
CT: Is there a particular character you find easy to portray? EV: Yeah, I’d say the villain [laughing]. The villain is the role that I most often get cast in, it’s the vixen who is sort of evil and manipulative. I’ve just done it so much that it’s just fun, it’s one that’s not hard to tap into. And usually, the writing is a lot of fun, too, you get to do stuff that you don’t normally get to do.
CT: What I love about your villains is no matter how horrible they are, there is always some reason to like them. EV: Thank you.
CT: I mean, so much so, that in Lost Girl, I get a little depressed
when The Morrigan doesn’t show up in an episode. Can’t we just kill off Bo and call the show The Morrigan? EV: [laughing]
CT: I’m kidding . . . but only a little. Your characters are always so
interesting, even if I don’t like them or how they treat the hero, for some reason, I want to get behind them, I don’t want to see anything bad happen to them. EV: Thank you. I try to stay like-able because there’s that danger that if there’s no redeeming quality about the character, why is anyone going to get behind that character and want that character to be around? Even if she’s the most despicable human being on the planet, she still has to have a vulnerability of some sort so that on some level you identify with her. Even though, on one level, you’re thinking, “She’s awful!” somewhere deeper you’re going, “Yeah, but kind of awesome!” I try to bring a sense of humor to the character and not have her be all dark and heavy and moody and annoying because nobody wants to watch that.
CT: When I interview guys from Heavy Metal bands, generally, I find
them to be the sweetest, gentlest guys. It’s like their onstage persona is the polar opposite of who they are in real life. How close are the characters you play to who Emmanuelle really is? EV: I find that, usually, I am so not the person that they perceive me to be! It’s really funny, a lot of the stuff that I audition for or I get offered, it’s the vixen, the other woman, the manipulative . . . It’s the Lost Girl character, she’s evil, she’s manipulative, she’s the leader of the dark world, everybody bows down to her, and she’s a complete narcissist with an ego the size of the entire planet! She doesn’t care about anyone except herself. A lot of the characters I’m offered are similar to her or they are tough. The characters have some sort of
humanity and vulnerability . . . but not a whole lot! I don’t get the wholesome, cute girl-nextdoor stuff, the roles usually have some kind of an edge to them. But in real life, I couldn’t be farther from that! In real life, I’m closer to goofy and silly. Yes, I like to dress up and go out and have fun, but not with the attitude that I’m the best thing since sliced bread, I just like to be a girl. I like to keep it on the girlier side of things. [laughing]
CT: Do you ever wrestle with the fact that everyone casts you as a manipulative vixen?
EV: Well, you know, there are certain roles I’d like to have a better shot at, but I’m not upset. I’m grateful for the work and I have a lot of fun doing it. Sometimes though, it would be nice if they could see this other side of me. They just happen to view me in this way based on roles that I’ve portrayed that have been successful, so they immediately identify with that and go, “Oh, she’s right for this, it’s like that other character she played.”
CT: What would be your dream role, the ultimate character for you to play? The one role that would be what you had been working for your entire career? EV: I don’t think there’s any one role that would achieve that.
CT: Besides, then you’d be out of work after playing her, I guess. EV: Yes, I would be out of work and that would be sad.
CT: How about, an ideal character that someone could tailor specifically for you?
EV: Hmmm, you know, I don’t think it’s so much of a specific role, I think it would just be doing more comedy, doing more lighter, fluffier stuff. I love Zoolander and Dumb and Dumber, they are so silly and ridiculous, but they make people laugh! It would make me very happy to veer over into that direction a little bit more. But on the other hand, doing a fantastic, dramatic . . . No, I think it would be more of the kind of actors that I’d love to work with. I’d love to work with Meryl Streep or Matt Damon or Leonardo Dicaprio or Daniel Day Lewis, people who are so wonderful and amazing to watch. Just to be surrounded by that makes you better, you rise to that level . . . or you at least hope to.
CT: Do you think your look inhibits you from getting more comedy roles? I mean, there’s nothing really quirky about you, no twisted earlobe, crooked nose, chipped tooth—
EV: Sure, absolutely, that’s definitely a factor. But I think everybody has to deal with that. I talk to girls who are the comedy girls and all they want to do is drama! We all want what we don’t have. The trick is finding a way to make all of it happen, finding those opportunities . . . even if it’s writing something for yourself. It’s about creating those opportunities for yourself or seeking them out and working towards the goals that you have
CT: Have you ever written anything for yourself? EV: I have not. But, I have been talking to some girlfriends of mine, we have some ideas and—
CT: That’s awesome! EV: I bought Final Draft, I just need to go sit and start writing. It will happen. It’s in the works.
CT: So, when you’re not acting — or writing — what is your passion away from the camera?
EV: I love horseback riding and I recently took up painting. I have a girlfriend who is an artist and she’ll come over and we’ll do mixed media projects or oil painting or acrylics. It’s a really fun, creative outlet for me. I’ve also been doing a lot of Netflix watching and downloading shows from iTunes that I need to catch up on.
CT: What kinds of shows? EV: Okay, so on Netflix, it’s House of Cards, Orange is the New Black and for fun, delicious, guilty pleasure watching I’ve got Scandal and Revenge on the back burner. Also, I have been going back and marathoning through Breaking Bad — which has been great, I love that! On iTunes, I’ve been downloading Homeland, Downton Abbey and Orphan Black — which is a new one that I love — I watched that in one night, all 13 episodes!
CT: Wow, has anyone ever told you that you’re an overachiever?! EV: An overachiev— Oh! [laughing] Well, I’ve also gone through periods where I have no time to watch anything. Don’t forget, these are all shows that I go out for and audition for, so it’s good for me to be aware of what they are and where they’re going with the show. I
like to watch an episode of almost everything so I have an idea of what the tone is.
CT: Can you see them as shows?
EV: Yes, I have been able to separate that whole dissecting a TV show while watching it thing. I used to do that, but now I’ll just go, “Look, that’s so and so, he’s so great! I worked with him.” But beyond that, yes, I’m able to watch and I’m okay.
CT: What can you say
about Season 4 of Lost Girl? EV: We’re not allowed to say anything other than, Brie Childers “I’m in it.” Trust me, there’s a lot of fun stuff in store . . . but that’s about as much as I can say. Personally, I’ve been loving what’s been happening thus far in the season, it’s pretty exciting for my character and for a lot of the other characters, as well. There’s a lot going on, I think the fans will be pleased.
CT: I just looked at the clock, I don’t want to keep you too long
because I’d like to be able to interview you again and not have you
say, “No way, I’m not talking to him again, that’s the guy who kept me on the phone for 6 hours asking obscure continuity questions!” EV: “When you raise your left hand, your second finger, — the index finger — went up. What did that mean? It was in episode 212.”
CT: [laughing] Exactly. I’m sure being in the genres that you’re in, you do get those questions.
EV: Oh, totally! Oh, yeah, those guys who notice every minute detail — which is amazing to me — but really, guys, that meant nothing. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I had an itch! [laughing]
CT: Hey, this wasn’t too bad. I think, maybe I like actors, too! EV: We’re friendly folk. Well, most of us. [laughing]
Brie Childers
Epilogue So, it really wasn’t that bad. There’s no reason to be afraid of actors. Maybe it’s like Emmanuelle was relating with her foray into Two and a Half Men? This type of interview was something I’d really never done before, so it started off scary. But, it quickly became fun. And, yes, I definitely have a certain level of satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. So thank you, Ms. Vaugier, this was kind of awesome!
Charity Work Besides the verbal portrait I’ve just offered, it’s important to note that Emmanuelle Vaugier is rather passionate about charities. She has an organization called The Fluffball [ www.thefluffball.com ] and each year, the foundation throws a cocktail event that benefits a different animal charity. Also, she’s been offering her original artwork up for charity auctions [ www.studiofrederique.com ].
Contact: Season 4 of Lost Girl premieres on Sunday, November 10 at 10pm on Showcase in Canada and on SyFy in early 2014 for the U.S. If you’d like more information on this talented actress and genuinely warm, compassionate and seriously funny human being, you can visit her at: Website: www.emmanuellevaugier.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/The-Real-Emmanuelle-Vaugier Twitter: https://twitter.com/evaugier